The void pulsed with the rhythm of Kai's own heartbeat, each thump echoing into eternity. Across from him, the darker version of himself took a step forward—identical in appearance but radiating raw malice and chaos.
"You're afraid of me," the dark Kai said, twirling the storm-forged blade with practiced ease. "Because you know I'm what you could become."
Kai clenched his fists. "You're not me."
"Oh, I am. I am the part of you that revels in power. The part that would burn a world to avenge a loved one. The part that will do whatever it takes."
Lightning crackled between them, and the ground beneath Kai's feet shimmered like shattered glass. He summoned the energy within, calling forth the storm that now answered to his will.
Their clash was instant.
Steel met steel. Storm met storm. Each strike echoed with memories—visions of his parents' deaths, the pain of exile, the hunger to be strong. With each blow, the void warped. His doppelgänger grinned wider.
"You're holding back. That's why you'll lose."
Kai roared, channeling a wave of stormlight through his blade, forcing the dark twin to slide backward.
"I'm not holding back—I'm choosing who I want to be."
The mirror cracked.
The dark Kai snarled, shadows licking his arms. "Then choose... and destroy me."
They collided once more—this time not as warriors, but as wills in conflict. Every emotion surged through Kai: rage, sorrow, hope. Until—
A thunderous crack.
His blade pierced the shadow's heart.
The doppelgänger gasped, fading like mist. "You think you've won... but I'll always be here... waiting... watching..."
And then silence.
Kai stood alone again, the mirror now shattered at his feet. The void began to fade.
He woke with a gasp, breaking through the earth's surface. Rhea rushed to his side.
"You did it," she whispered.
Kai looked at his hands. They shimmered faintly. Stronger now. More balanced.
"Not yet," he replied. "But I'm beginning to understand who I must become."
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